Windows Unplugged

Summary: 

• How to use the Microsoft DISM Tool to Check, Scan and Restore Windows 10 System Image Health

 

Comments:

• DISM(Deployment Image Servicing and Management [DISM.exe]) is a command-line tool that can be used to determine the status[Health] of the Windows operating System Image’s Component Store.  The tool can also be used to Repair a Windows System Image
• DISM’s command-line tool is run in an elevated command prompt
• DISM is also available via PowerShell.  (Note: This article will not cover using DISM’ with PowerShell)
• This article covers three(3) of the command line switches available for use with the DISM command
  • /CheckHealth  – Scans and reports if the System Image is healthy, corrupted, repairable, or non-repairable
    • Informative Only, Doesn’t Fix, Repair or Change
  • /ScanHealth – Scans and reports if corruption exists
    • Informative, Doesn’t Fix, Repair or Change (This scan will take several minutes and will provide a progress bar showing % progress – Do not interrupt)
  • /RestoreHealth – scan the Windows Image for component store corruption and automatically perform repairs
• Use the DISM tool to determine the health of the Windows System Image if the built-in Windows System File Checker can not repair Windows file corruption.
• If the DISM tool’s CheckHealth and ScanHealth options report the image (a) corruption **and** (b) is repairable, then use the DISM tools /Restore Health option.

 

How To: 

• Using DISM’s /CheckHealth or /ScanHealth  option

1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt => Press Windows key + X ] then select the ‘Command Prompt (Admin) option
2. At the command line prompt enter one of the following

• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
• DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
• Note: A healthy system, i.e. no component store corruption will report findings as shown in the two pictures shown below

 

• Using DISM’s Restore Health option (Note: Always perform a /CheckHealth and /ScanHealth prior to attempting a repair of the Windows System Image and ensure that the /CheckHealth option reports the image as repairable)
  • DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

 

 

 

Additional Information:

• DISM’s /RestoreHealth option can also be used to resolve Windows Update errors that may be the result of component store corruption.
  • See Microsoft article ‘Fix Windows Update errors by using the DISM or System Update Readiness tool” for additional information(KB947821)

 

Revisions:

January 6, 2016: Initial Draft and Publish Date

May 8th, 2016:  Updated and revised Comments section description of the command line switches

August 15, 2016:  Replaced example pictures for better view-ability

September 9, 2016: Added reference to using DISM for Windows Update errors caused by component corruption